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NEWS : STORIES
OAKLAND, Calif. -- When Del the Funkee Homosapien, Souls of Mischief, the Prose and Casual, collectively known as the Hieroglyphics, were released from their various major label contracts in 1996, it was a very different hip-hop
These rappers, who earned a reputation for solid lyrical skills and an upbeat vibe as solo artists, had become passé among the mainstream while gangsta-rap kings Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. were trading barbs on records and in the press and watching their sales skyrocket. When the two kings of the genre were killed in separate gangland-style shootings, the sample-heavy dance-rap of Puff Daddy and his minions hit pay dirt in their wake. With the time seemingly right for a Puffy backlash, the Feb. 23 release-date for the Hieroglyphics' first album as a group on their Hieroglyphics Imperium label, Third Eye Vision, may be an excellent window-of-opportunity for the Oakland-based crew -- best-known for mixing solid lyrical skills over barely recognizable samples on Del the Funkee Homosapien's 1991 album I Wish My Brother George Was Here -- to once again make their mark on the scene. At least that's how they see it. "We got a lot of windows," said Hieroglyphics manager/producer Domino, speaking from fellow crew member Casual's home studio in Oakland. "Not just the gangsta thing, but there also is a big audience of people who are looking for artists who can rap, who have skills. "For instance," Domino added, "when Hammer and Vanilla Ice and stuff like that came to the forefront and sold millions of records, there was a backlash of sorts where people said 'Forget that! I want the real stuff.' I think there's a situation like that right now," he said. "I like the stuff that Puffy does and all the other people out there, but it's all you hear ... I think there are a lot of people who want to hear real lyrics and real beats and a lot of progressive hip-hop." "I feel like we're innovators, as far as the industry goes," said crewmember Del the Funkee Homosapien, 25. "There's only a few other fools out there that I would consider our peers, like Organized [Konfusion] and Tribe [Called Quest], groups that try to do something new and aren't trend-followers." In fact, the only trend that the Hieroglyphics crew seem to be following is that of such artists as rapper Master P, alterna-folk rocker Ani DiFranco and groove-master The Artist in controlling the production and distribution of their recordings by forming their own label. "I don't feel we're, like, breaking new ground in terms of the first people to go independent," Souls of Mischief's Opio said. "But I feel like we are trying to do something new in the independent industry. Ya know, comin' out with some real hip-hop and really having a major impact and have a major success. Not just like small. Our shit is underground, but we have a large following." While they are happy to once again be recording and selling albums, the Hieroglyphics also are united in the opinion that they are much better off not being hooked up with a major label. "When we first stepped into the industry, it was a whole brand-new experience," Opio said. "But after awhile, that gets played out. 'Why isn't the shit in the store?' 'Why aren't my posters up like I am seeing other people's posters up?' 'What's up with the promotion?' and what not. Now, we feel like we've got more control. We feel like we're doing a better job, 'cos it's us." While the Hieroglyphics certainly are not the first hip-hop act to take a stab at the indie scene, they do have an advantage over other indie hip-hop labels: name recognition. For a crew that has been laying low for the past two years, which is a whole career for many rappers, the Hieroglyphics say they have many people welcoming them back with open arms and ears. "A lot of the DJs when I call them and say 'Check out our record,' they're willing to check it out," Domino said. "We've got a lot of connections. The doors have been opened, basically." And when the doorstops are such great hip-hop albums as Del's I Wish My Brother George Was Here and Souls of Mischief's '93 Til Infinity, you tend to get invited back. "When you leave a label usually," Domino said, "the doors close behind you. We're fortunate enough to have them still be open." [Wed., Jan. 21, 1998, 9 a.m. PST]
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